Improved rahbway-carriage



L. H. WEST. RAILWAY CARRIAGE.

No. 49,942. Patented Sept, 12, 1865.

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Q F L 4 Wit was. f @z-A UNITED STATES PATENT ()EFICE.

LEVI H. WEST, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

i M PROVED" RAiL'WAY CAR RI'AG E.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 49,942, dated September12,1865.

To all whom it may concern.-

Belit known that I, LEVI H. WEST, of Cambridge. in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have made a new and usefolinventionlhaving reference to Street or Horse Rail-wayCarsfor Carriages;and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described shown anddescribed in the specification and drawingsot' the three Letters Patentof the United States numbered 38,726, 44,278, and 47,143, the first andsecond of which were granted to Alfred Bridges and the third to True\Vest, for in neither of the carriages described in such specificationsdo we find levers and springs arranged with reference to the truck-frameand the platform, in manner as hereinafter described.

In the said drawings, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the

.platiorm-iranie ot' the car or carriage body is represented at A andthe truck-frame at B. The said truck-frame has two axle-boxes, aa, oneach side of it, which are fixed within and niah-e part of it. Theseboxes receive in the ordinary manner thejournals of the next adjacentwheels, C C. Underneath each side of the platform are two levers D D,whiclrat their inner ends bear on the truck-frame and directly over theboxes a a. The fulcra Z) Z) of these levers aresupported by theplatformi'rame and are arranged with reference to the truck-frame, inmanner as shown in the drawings. rod, 0, passes through and upward fromthe outer end of each lever and through the platform-frame and abanspring, E, or .iirough the same and a cylindrical spring, F,

such rod being suspended from the top of the spring by having a head tobear on a capplate, (1, resting on such spring.

7 The auxiliary or bar spring may be dispensed with and the rubberspring be made to rest directly on the platform instead of on thebar-spring.

At the fulcrum of each'lever there is a projection, f, which enters acorresponding hole, 9, made in the bearing h of the lever. Fur thermore,the said bearing is provided with. lipsi i, to extend from it and down ashort distance alongside of the lever, the same beiu g as exhibitedinFig. 2, and also in Fig. 4.,which is a transverse section of the leverand hearing. There is also at the bearing of each lever D on theaxle-box a projection or pin, le -which goes across the box and enters acorresponding recess, 1, made in the lever, the whole being to keep thelever in placeagainst the axle-hex and platform-frame.

By my arrangement the springs are disposed above the platforin-frame andcomeinto the space that is underneath the side seat of the car. In thisway they are completely protected from snow, ice, dirt, or water whenraised by and thrown from the wheels. W hen the springs are underneaththe platform they are more or less exposed to snow or water thrown onthem by the wheels. Such snow or water, when frozen on them, will moreor less impede their action. Other important advanvagcs of myarrangement will be easily perceptible to persons skilled in the art towhich it appertains.

I do not claim either of the inventions described in the aforementionedpatents; but

I claim as my invention or improvement- The arrangement of levers D Dand the spring or springs of each with the platform frame A and thetruck'fraine B, the same be ing substantially as and so as to operate asspecified.

LEVI H. WEST. Witnesses R. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr.

